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How Did Al Capone Contribute To Power

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Al Capone Al Capone, also known as Scarface, was one of the most powerful gangsters of the prohibition era, and has been portrayed in many movies. His life is the perfect example of a rags to riches story. He was born into a poor immigrant family, but soon became one of the richest and most powerful people in the United States when he took control of the Chicago criminal empire. Al Capone accrued his power through his numerous political and gang connections, and through the use of his vast fortune. Capone began making acquaintances in the gang realm early on in his life. When he was only fourteen years old, Capone met Johnny Torrio, “which would prove the greatest influence on the would-be gangland boss” (Biography). Capone lived on the same …show more content…

Capone and two of his brothers held political offices in Cicero, a suburb of Chicago, which allowed them to get away with running illegal establishments like gambling rackets. The experience of being a politician gave Capone an inside knowledge of how the local government worked, and allowed him to be able to get away with a lot more without fear of jail time. For example, his knowledge of the inner workings of the court system allowed him to order the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre without being found guilty by exploiting a loophole in the judiciary system that he knew because of his experience as a politician. This apparent immunity to the law allowed Capone to make him and his gang the most powerful in the city (Biography, …show more content…

The FBI had found evidence that he was not ill and had been traveling. This caused Capone to have to appear before a federal court on charges of contempt. FBI agents arrested him, and he was sentenced to one year in prison, but he paid his $5000 bond and was released. Later that same year, Capone was detained for possession of a concealed weapon in Philadelphia and sentenced to one year in prison. Capone was finally arrested in 1931 when he pled guilty to charges of tax evasion. He was forced to pay almost three hundred thousand dollars in back taxes and fines and was sentenced to eleven years in federal prison. He was sent to the US Penitentiary in Atlanta after denial of his court appeals, but was soon sent to Alcatraz prison

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